A news article over at Reuters reported that Thailand’s third-largest mobile phone operator, True Move, revealed on Thursday that it has reached a deal with Apple Inc to distribute the latter’s iPhone 3G in Thailand.
“True Move has signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone 3G to Thailand in the coming months,” the company said in a statement. However, no precise date and pricing details were given.
This deal makes True Move, which is a subsidiary of True Corp, TRUE.BK, the first operator to sell the phone in Thailand’s ever-growing market. Rival operator, AIS said that it is still in negotiation stages with Apple and that Apple’s deal with True Move is not exclusive.
It seems that Apple is actively courting every operator in the country, including another rival operator, DTAC. iPhones will begin to hit the streets of Bangkok once a deal has been reached with Apple, adds Somchai Lertsuttiwong, AIS’s Executive VP for Marketing.
Thailand is currently in testing stages for 3G networks. Buyers would only be able to surf using existing EDGE or GPRS networks until the country has fully rolled out 3G networks.
Apple started rolling out the iPhone to more than 20 countries in July 2008 and has set a target of selling 10 million iPhones this year. The target has already been reached.
Unlocked Versions
The new iPhone 3G can already be bought in Thailand. A rough estimation shows that Thailand already has about 100,000 iPhone users, including the original iPhone. An iPhone 3G imported from the US would cost you about 29,500 baht (roughly $842). Official unlocked versions from Hong Kong would settle you down with 35,000 baht poorer.
iPhone 3G in Malaysia
If Apple is talking to all mobile operators in Thailand, does that mean the same too for mobile operators in neighbouring country Malaysia? Singapore, a small island republic south of Malaysia already has an official iPhone 3G, distributed by SingTel.
Now, if the launch of the Official Online Store for Malaysia is an indicator, I reiterate my hopes again to see the iPhone 3G in time for Christmas.
